Modeling Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition with Partial Differential Equations: Implications for Metastatic...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Mathematical Biology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Metastatic tumors cause ~90% of cancer mortality globally.
• Understanding cancer cell dissemination is crucial for effective treatment.
• Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) drives cancer metastasis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a PDE model for cancer cell migration, proliferation, and EMT.
• To analyze EMT's impact on tumor microenvironment and spreading patterns.
• To construct and evaluate therapeutic models for metastatic tumors.

Main Methods:

• Established a phenotype- and density-regulated chemotaxis coefficient for a PDE model.
• Incorporated anti-TGFβRII and cyclophosphamide (CTX) into therapeutic models.
• Used experimental data for parameter estimation and developed a metastasis incidence index.

Main Results:

• The PDE model effectively characterized cancer cell dynamics and EMT.
• Therapeutic models demonstrated suppression of tumor dissemination.
• Inhibiting EMT significantly enhanced the efficacy of anti-cancer drugs.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacological interventions can effectively suppress tumor metastasis.
• EMT inhibition is a promising strategy to enhance cancer treatment efficacy.
• The study provides a framework for personalized cancer therapy design.